LORMAN &8212; It had been a year since Trey Johnson shot a basketball in a NCAA game,

and it&8217;s been well over a year since he did it in the confines of the Whitney Athletic Complex.

Yet he doesn&8217;t know how he&8217;ll feel tonight when he gets warmed up during pregame of the Jackson State-Alcorn game at the Lorman campus. For the one-time Alcorn Brave who left the program, sat out last year and has since joined the Tigers&8217; squad, he should feel a flurry of emotions tonight.

Tipoff is at 7:30.

&8220;I actually haven&8217;t had much time to think about it,&8221; said Johnson, the Jackson native who is the second-best scorer in the SWAC so far. &8220;I know (Alleo) Frazier, Delvin Thompson, (Juan) Wyatt and James Kendrick &8212; a lot of them I still know. I haven&8217;t thought too much about it. It&8217;s going to be interesting.&8221;

It&8217;s the first game back for the sharp shooter who spent time two seasons ago playing the first part of the season at point guard before moving over to the two guard for the Braves in Sam West&8217;s first year as head coach following Davey Whitney&8217;s retirement.

Even before he signed first with Alcorn, Johnson had to decide whether it would be Alcorn or Jackson State after spending his first year out of Murrah High School at Northeast Community College.

Johnson averaged 11 points a game during the 2003-04 season at Alcorn and was the team&8217;s best free-throw shooter. But he told West after a season that ended with the eight-seeded Braves&8217; upset of top-seeded Valley at the SWAC tournament that he was leaving.

&8220;We had a great relationship,&8221; West said. &8220;Trey and I still do, and his family as well. Grandparents and all. We have a great relationship. I understood. That&8217;s water under the bridge now. We&8217;re pulling for Trey &8212; except when he plays Alcorn.&8221;

Now Johnson has blossomed in his role at Jackson State, and he&8217;s averaging 23 points a game while playing exclusively as a shooter. He doesn&8217;t hold any grudges against anyone at his old school but is convinced Jackson State was a better fit for him all along.

Even if it meant watching the entire 2004-05 season from the bleachers.

&8220;I was going to miss playing, but I felt like Jackson was a better situation for me,&8221; Johnson said. &8220;I enjoyed playing the point (at ASU). I actually wanted to, and I still enjoy playing it now. That had nothing to do with my decision. It was the whole school and environment. I felt Jackson would be a better situation for me.&8221;

You can&8217;t argue with the numbers. Johnson has fit right into an offense that&8217;s catered toward perimeter players such as Antonio Williams-Parker and Julius Young. The Tigers are second in the SWAC in scoring at just over 70 points a game, and Johnson has led the Tigers in scoring each night out except twice.

He had 38 in their 84-77 win over Alabama A&M Monday and 22 in a 77-64 win over Alabama State Wednesday. The Tigers were predicted to finish second in the SWAC.

&8220;After sitting out last year, I worked on a lot of things,&8221; Johnson said. &8220;I worked out and got better. This season so far, it&8217;s just been a blessing. We all work well together. Knowing our players and things like that, I feel if we come out and play well every night, we&8217;re a force to be reckoned with.

&8220;Everybody plays a different role, and we wouldn&8217;t be better without anybody &8212; from the first player to the 13th player. We&8217;ve got shooters, penetrators &8212; a little bit of everything.&8221;

For Johnson, the year off may have helped him. He used it to get stronger in the weight room, work on the finer points of his game and prepare for this season. Six games into the season he topped his personal-best in scoring with 28 points against Stephen F. Austin.

His best game while at Alcorn came late in the season when he put up 26 against Alabama A&M.;

&8220;I just treated (last season) like I was playing,&8221; Johnson said. &8220;The only thing I was missing out on was games. I&8217;d get up early and do conditioning work. I worked on a little bit of everything. I wanted to get stronger.&8221;

And when he lines up on a Jackson State possession tonight, West and everyone else on Alcorn&8217;s roster may have a good idea of his tendencies. But then again, it&8217;s not just Johnson that&8217;s got the Tigers out to a 2-0 start right now.

Jackson swept the series with Alcorn last season and split the two previous seasons.

&8220;I know a lot more people than Trey Johnson on Jackson State&8217;s team,&8221; West said. &8220;I know (Dakari) Wallace since he was a baby. His father grew up in my backyard playing basketball. Ernest Hassell &8212; I helped raise him. They&8217;re a very well-rounded team and well-coached team. We&8217;ll have to play our best to win.&8221;